


It's Time to Go

by Cyan (vehicroids)



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, M/M, Multi, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29029203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vehicroids/pseuds/Cyan
Summary: After the war, the three of them settled into a better life in Almyra. Yuri is left to reminisce on those years after they're gone.(Yuri rarepair week day 5: notebook)
Relationships: Hilda Valentine Goneril/Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc, Hilda Valentine Goneril/Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/Claude von Riegan, Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	It's Time to Go

Yuri became aware of the passage of time at thirty five.

He had never stopped to think about it before, not until he found Hilda staring at herself in the mirror. She was only a year younger than him, but time had touched her differently to Yuri. She pulled at the skin on her face as if trying to pull out the couple of wrinkles that had made their home on the corners of her eyes and her mouth. She pouted at her own reflection.

"What are you doing?" he asked her finally, standing behind her.

"I'm old," she lamented.

"You're thirty four."

"Old," she repeated, still trying to pull away her wrinkles. "It's not fair. You don't look any older than when I met you."

He hadn't thought about it at all until then, but she was right. When Yuri looked at himself in the mirror, he looked like he was in his early twenties, rather than his mid thirties. How could that be? He said nothing about it, because nothing he could say would cheer Hilda up. He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

"So what if you're getting older? I'm still going to love you even if you look like a prune," he said.

"You say that now, but what about when I get prunier? When I'm old and can't walk?"

He sat his hands on her shoulders. "Then you become Khalid's problem. He can carry you around."

"Yuri!"

Despite her whining, she smiled. She sat her hands on his, closing her eyes. While Hilda had long lost her girlish charm, her beauty only matured with her. She was still beautiful, but in a completely different way. She had changed each and every single day, and Yuri hadn't realised it until just then. Instead of a spoiled princess, now she was a spoiled queen, and she knew it.

Not that Yuri could complain about being a spoiled royal: he was in exactly the same position.

Hilda's dresser was covered in more cosmetics than a person would ever need. Some of it was imported from Fódlan at her behest, but most of it was Almyran. Most of it was expensive as well, the kind only a queen could afford, but there was one item that wasn't: a pink eyeshadow that she insisted no one but Yuri could do. The sight of it always made him smile.

He watched himself and Hilda in the mirror for a moment. That image of her with her eyes closed, holding onto him, seared itself into his brain. He didn't know how much he would need it later, but perhaps, in the back of his mind, he always knew.

Looking back, he should have enjoyed those little moments more. He should have taken those extra five minutes with Hilda while he could. But he didn't.

From outside, they heard an ear-splitting screech, but neither Hilda nor Yuri were surprised. The screech was followed by a giggle, and then the playful roar of a man too old to roar like that. Yuri didn't need to open the door to know what he would find, but he peeked outside anyway.

It was two against one. Two five year olds versus one thirty-three year old, fighting over one very important item.

"Kids, please," Khalid said with a laugh. "Baba has a meeting in half an hour."

As if those kids would listen. In fact, Kiyan had placed the crown on his head, too large for his tiny head. Sumera laughed, and Khalid looked exasperated. Eventually, he managed to pluck the crown from Kiyan's head, who screeched like a baby wyvern. Yuri scooped him up.

"Someone's eager to be king," Yuri said. "Alright, come on. Sumera, you too. Let's leave Baba alone."

They both huffed. They were terrors, both of them. That was one thing that time did not change.

***

For the most part, Yuri left behind those traces of his past life. The Savage Mockingbird was no more, but there was one thing he kept: his little black notebook. It had long surpassed its usefulness. His handwriting was fine, and he no longer needed to note down the people he had lost. The last entry in there was when it all ended, where Yuri had noted the last of his fallen comrades over ten years ago.

He flicked through the pages on occasion, and paused at one of the last pages. It was on those pages that he worried, once upon a time, that he would have to write down Khalid's name. Ironic, considering he would have written down an inaccurate name at the time. That was a long time ago now, a memory he wanted to forget about. He couldn't. The idea of him dying still haunted him.

A pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind, pulling him into an embrace. Khalid leaned his head over Yuri's shoulder.

"Feeling nostalgic?" he asked.

"Something like that."

Yuri closed the book. There wasn't much use in dwelling on the past, yet he couldn't help himself. Sometimes, it helped to remember those who had helped him get to where he was then, those who had died by his side. His own mother's name was among that list. That thought left him cold.

Khalid kissed his temple. "You keep worrying like that, and you might finally get wrinkles."

Something told Yuri that will never be a problem. He leans back into the embrace, relaxing.

"Now, why would I ever worry? I have everything I could ever possibly want," Yuri said.

Everything and more. He was never one to want for much, simply wanting for a better life. And there he was, living life as Almyran royalty. Who would have thought that someone as lowly and dirty as him could end up here? The Goddess had granted him this favour, and he had no idea how to repay it. The best he could do was enjoy it.

"I don't know how you do it," Khalid said. "You're as pretty as the day I met you."

"You mean when you broke into my library?"

"Are you still mad about that?"

Yuri paused to think. "No, I'm glad you came down."

Where would he have been had he not met Khalid and Hilda? Stuck in Abyss. A decade ago, that seemed like a fine idea, but not now.

"Why were you looking at that thing, anyway?" Khalid asked.

"It's nice to remember the people I've lost," Yuri admitted. "I'm still surprised we made it out in one piece."

"It's gonna take more than swords, or arrows, or whatever the hell that was all about to take us down." Khalid laughed. "No, I plan to die of old age like a ripe old prune."

Yuri elbowed him. "Stop it."

Death was never a topic that bothered Yuri. After almost losing Khalid once, the topic of him dying was off the table - even if it was from old age. Though, for a moment, Yuri couldn't help but wonder: would he even reach old age? He shook off the thought. Perhaps he wouldn't. It didn't matter.

It should have mattered. At the time, Yuri didn't think about it.

***

The years kept going.

In those years, everyone else changed with the passing of time. The twins hit their adolescence, and Khalid and Hilda kept growing older. Yuri did not. He shrugged it off, but it bothered him; everyone was changing, except for Yuri.

As the kids grew up a little more, it became time to train them. Yuri had insisted they were trained earlier, but Hilda refused to let that happen. They were children, and this was not Faerghus. They needed to learn how to protect themselves. Thankfully, at fifteen, they were allowed to start training. Yuri and Hilda would occasionally sit in during their training sessions: Kiyan was fantastic with an axe. She was proud of that fact. Still somewhere in his blood, he was a Goneril.

"It's been forever since I've used an axe," she said, before getting up. "They're so heavy, but I  _ guess  _ I could give it a shot."

Really, she wanted to show off her skills with the hope that the cute training instructor would look over. Yuri shook his head, but he let Hilda do as she pleased. No one asked her to do this, but she would do it anyway. She went over to the weapons rack and picked up one of the axes.

Or, rather, she tried to pick one up.

She let out this strangled cry as she realised it was too heavy for her, and she stumbled. Yuri rushed over, and the instructor looked over. Yuri took the axe from her; it was heavy, but not that heavy. It shouldn't have been an issue for Hilda to pick it up. She was stronger than him.

_ Was _ .

"Oh wow," she said, her voice high. "That's one heavy axe! Do they make them heavier here?"

Yuri didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. Hilda was getting old.

Where was the time going?

From then, she insisted on being carried more often over the years. The flight of stairs up to bed were too much for someone her age, or so she claimed. This wasn't a problem Yuri could push onto Khalid anymore; he, too, was growing older. So instead, Yuri took on the responsibility of looking after Hilda. It wasn't a problem, not after twenty-five years.

Fuck. Twenty-five years, and Yuri had felt none of them. He didn't like that very much. When the hell did that happen?

"You're so good to me," she said one night.

"You could walk. You still have legs," he reminded her.

"No! Not at my age. I'm old, so old, I might break a hip."

"There are active knights older than you."

She huffed. "I'm a queen, not a knight."

Sure, she was a queen: a royal pain, as it were. He kept that joke to himself. He can't imagine Hilda would be very impressed.

They shared a wing of the palace, though had different rooms. There were nights where they slept alone, nights where they slept with Khalid - either all three of them or only two - or slept together. That night, Yuri had every intention of spending the night alone. There was a book on his nightstand that needed reading, and Yuri was close to the end. But when he placed Hilda down on her bed, she had other plans.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"Bed? It's late," he said.

"Then get in, silly!"

Years of knowing her should have made him immune to her charms. He really wanted to read that book. Something felt weird that night. Something was telling him to get into bed with her, and it wasn't just Hilda. Reluctantly, he closed the door and began to undress. She grinned, delighted, and clung to him as soon as he got under the covers. She may have aged, but her heart remained very much young.

He wrapped an arm around her, his other hand guiding her head up to press a kiss to her lips.

"I don't say this enough, but I love you," he said.

"Ugh, I always worry when you say that," she joked. "It always makes me feel like you're about to deliver bad news or something."

"Wow. Maybe I should say it more so you don't think that."

"Mm, maybe."

Her expression fell to contentment as she closed her eyes. He stroked her hair and watched her for a little while, the gentle rise and fall of her chest and the quiet noises she made while she slept. Yuri held her close, and touched a kiss to her forehead, before falling asleep with her.

The morning light peeked through the curtains. The first thing Yuri registered was the heavy weight on his chest as Hilda had sprawled out on him overnight. Yuri's arm was numb, and he tried to nudge her awake, but she wouldn't budge. He tried again, but nothing. He sat a hand on her shoulder, and she didn't feel right.

"Hilda?" he asked, trying to hide the building desperation in his voice. "Come on, you're heavy."

She was heavy. She was unmoving. She was cold.

Yuri pushed her off, and that should have been enough to wake her up. It wasn't. She didn't react at all. Her eyes were closed, and that content smile was still on her face, but she wasn't breathing. Yuri stumbled out of bed, but he had no idea what to do. All he knew was that Hilda-

He couldn't say it. Not even to himself. He refused.

It all blurred together after that. Yuri called for help. Someone screamed, but he can't remember who. Khalid called for him, and he sat his hands on Yuri's shoulders, but he didn't react. It didn't sink in at all, not until Khalid pulled him into an embrace. That was when Yuri realised - truly realised - what had happened.

In an instant, the world crashed. He wrapped his arms around Khalid and refused to let go.

The coming days felt strange. They simply happened. There were talks of funerals and mourning and condolences for both Yuri and Khalid, but he heard none of them. He felt none of them. He shut himself away and opened the door for no one. He stayed there, with something pressed against the door. He needed to be alone.

The palace wasn't the same. It didn't feel the same without Hilda pounding at his door, begging for attention. She would never be on the other side of that door again. Instead, it was the kids who tried, or Khalid himself. Yuri couldn't face it. It was cowardly of him, but he couldn't face it.

Under his mattress, it was still there: the black notebook from his childhood. And there, in the faded ink, sat a new entry in fresh, dark ink.

_ Hilda Valentine Goneril. _

Nothing was the same after that. The palace was a little emptier, a little quieter. Sumera took after her far too much. She had the same laugh, the same way with people, and those same puppy dog eyes. It was hard to look at her, so he refused to speak to her - or any of his family. Yuri had never been good with handling emotions, and now, worse than ever, he couldn't handle it.

A pound on the door. Yuri ignored it.

"Are you going to stay in there forever?"

Khalid. That was the last thing Yuri wanted. Once again, he ignored him. Another knock.

"Open the door, Yuri. You're not the only one hurting."

No, Yuri might not be the only one hurting, but it felt like he was. He wanted to drown alone. He took in a deep breath.

"How long until it's just me?" Yuri asked.

"What?"

"I think you know what I mean. One day, you'll die too."

And Yuri will, too, he wasn't sure when. At this rate, it would be long after Khalid, and perhaps even long after their children. He didn't know why. He assumed it was thanks to his crest - or whatever the old man had done to him as a child. Either way, it did not matter. All that mattered was that he remained unchanged, with countless names in his notebook. How many more would he note down? Their kids? Their grandkids? He didn't want to do this anymore. He didn't want any of this.

Khalid tried the door again, and it opened this time. Yuri must have forgotten to lock it - intentionally or not. He sat on his bed, staring at a blank space of wall. Khalid closed the door behind him.

"I've been dealing with the kids by myself," he said.

"They're twenty."

"They're kids who just lost their mom, Yuri."

He knew that. He knew how it felt, too, but he couldn't deal with it. He couldn't deal with Khalid, or the twins. The weight on the mattress shifted beside him, but he didn't look. He knew he would break if he did.

"They are," he conceded.

"So, we should be there for them," Khalid said. "And we should be there for each other. Please don't shut me out."

He held out his arm for Yuri to lean into him, but he refused. He didn't want to be touched. He wanted nothing more than to be left alone.

"I knew this would happen, I'm no fool," Yuri said. "She was younger than I thought she would be."

Khalid laughed. It was a sad laugh. "Yeah, but that's Hilda. You know she wouldn't want to be a ripe old prune like me."

How ironic, coming from the youngest out of the three. Time had gotten to him the most: Hilda and Yuri never had to worry. Khalid, on the other hand, had a whole country to deal with. That sort of stress took its toll on a body. Yuri's heart tightened at the thought. He didn't want to think about losing him, too.

"I'm sorry. I can't say anything that's going to help, because I feel just like you do. But we've got each other."

They did have each other. They were all the other one had now. Finally, Yuri leaned against him, letting his eyes fall shut. Khalid rubbed his arm absentmindedly, sighing softly. Yuri sniffled quietly, but he didn't bother wiping away the tears. His tense body began to relax against Khalid's, his rock in an ocean, and he had that to cling on to.

Yuri could, at last, allow himself to fall apart.

***

Almyra has been in mourning for a week: King Khalid has passed on.

All Yuri can do is think about those decades they had together. Those years when they had Hilda, and the years they had just the two of them. This time, there's no one to mourn with Yuri. He stands by himself, unchanged and untouched by time. Sumera hasn't stopped crying since. He thinks about promising her that she'll always have him, but he holds back.

There's a quiet reservation in how Kiyan deals with it. Soon, he will be crowned king, which is a bittersweet thought to his father and his sister. Kiyan keeps going. For now, Sumera and Yuri stop. Eventually, they'll keep going, because they must. Life goes on, even when a king falls, and a husband and a father is lost.

The coronation will happen in the coming days. Traditionally, there would be a fight between the children for who would be crowned king, but Sumera has no interest. The twins made a pact at age eight: Kiyan would become king, and Sumera would be his shadow. The sun and the moon, working together to create a brighter future for Almyra.

That is, as soon as Sumera can pick herself back up.

Kiyan looks so much like his father. He even wears his hair the same, slicked back. He doesn't have the cocky grin, and he's not as cheeky as Khalid was, but there's a piece of him in there. The sight of him and Sumera makes Yuri smile now. No matter what, Hilda and Khalid live on through pieces of their children, through their smiles and their eyes. It's difficult to miss them when it feels like their spirits are still there.

This time, Yuri doesn't feel alone. He has his children at his side, and he will stay with them. 

And when the time comes for Kiyan to be crowned king, with his sister at his side, there's only one thing left to do. Under Hilda's name in Yuri's notebook is one last entry.

_ Claude von Riegan. _

**Author's Note:**

> Help I have a mild headache I've been working on this all day ahhh. I cried twice while writing this (like, in a good way). I love the three of them. Anyone else ever think about how in Yuri's Byleth endings, he doesn't age? That was the inspiration for this fic. Anyway this has been fun! Yes all four other entries are linked c: but not necessary. If I got one person to ship Yurihilda and/or Yuriclaude, this would've all been worth it
> 
> Thanks to my best friend for making me ship Yuriclaude, indulging me in Yurihilda (and literally every other ship she's had to deal with), for letting me use our OCs AND for beta'ing this fic!
> 
> Bug me on [Tumblr](http://vehicroids.tumblr.com) || [Twitter](https://twitter.com/vehicroids)


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